Portwell Announces Military Aerospace and Government Application Note on Intel Solution

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Military air defense system

Situation

One of the largest systems integrators -- that develops and produces weapons, military, and defense technologies -- sought an Intel®-based solution for its air defense system. The system needed to function in harsh environments, extended temperature ranges and resist the high g-force of shock and vibration. The main criteria, however, would be its immediate reaction (fast boot) to sudden threats.

After considering various options, the company designed the air defense system using a COM Express modular solution because its flexible design saved time and costs during the initial phase of development, while achieving faster time-to-market, simplifying the upgrade path, providing future scalability and increasing the application lifecycle.

COM Express form factor based solutions offer a greater advantage in their combination of design simplicity along with flexibility in the choice of processor and I/O.

Without having to deal with high-performance interfaces like processor-to-memory and processor-to-chipset signal paths, they can focus on the carrier board's I/O aspect of the solution.

The customer choose to implement Portwell's PCOM-B211VG COM Express module solution from a variety of other elite vendors because it offered a rugged and embedded COM Express module with features tailored to meet its specific demands.

Challenge

The system was designed to intercept and destroy short-range rockets and artillery shells fired from distances of 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) to 70 kilometers (43 miles) away and whose trajectory would take them to a populated area. The system was required to work in all weather conditions, including low clouds, rain, dust storms or fog. The solution also had to include unique features such as boot up within 1.8 seconds, cold start at -46°C and a strong protection mechanism that could sustain sufficient vibration to avoid a data crash under unstable conditions.

Solution

a. A truly rugged COM Express solution

From the selection of peripheral components, through circuit design, to extensive temperature validation test, Portwell had the know-how to fulfill the customer's requirement for operation in extreme temperatures, and designed a solution that operated reliably in harsh conditions. Furthermore, in order to meet high g-force, all components were mounted on board with conformal coating.

b. Tailor-made for rugged embedded applications

Tailor-made pin definition provides great flexibility and is just one of the many features Portwell offer customers looking for COM Express module solutions with unique application requirements. During the spec-in process, Portwell customized the BIOS to fulfill this particular customer's demand for boot up in 1.8 seconds to initial missile system and instant launch necessary to intercept an incoming attacking missile.

c. Upgradable with time-to-market benefit

The customer selected a Portwell solution utilizing the first generation Intel Pentium™ M processor family with Mobile Intel® 945GME Express Chipset, which can be upgraded to the new 3rd generation Core i solution. Advantaging the Intel x86 architecture's easy upgrading benefits, the customer needed to change only the COM Express card without the need for extra software or hardware: a simple "plug and play" action that sped up time-to-market.

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About Portwell

Portwell, Inc. (http://www.portwell.com.tw/ www.portwell.com.tw), a world-leading innovator in the Industrial PC (IPC) market, provides a complete range of industrial products, including PICMG 1.0/1.3 single board computers, COM Express & Q7 modules, and Industrial M/B and system solutions—all delivered with advanced quality and service. Portwell serves customers in embedded markets such as military, automation, transportation, gaming, medical and digital security surveillance.

About the Intel® Internet of Things Solutions Alliance

Portwell is a Premier member of the Intel® Internet of Things Solutions Alliance. From modular components to market-ready systems, Intel and the 250+ global member companies of the Intel Internet of Things Solutions Alliance provide scalable, interoperable solutions that accelerate deployment of intelligent devices and end-to-end analytics. Close collaboration with Intel and each other enables Alliance members to innovate with the latest technologies, helping developers deliver first-in-market solutions.

Learn more at: http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/intelligent-systems/alliance-overview.html intel.com/IoTSolutionsAlliance

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